Fort Worth Church Stained Glass:  To Remove or Replace?

Texas is known for its plethora of churches made in the late 19th and early 20th century.  In fact, there are tours all over this lovely state of ours in which you can go visit some of the best-preserved “painted churches” we have to offer.  One element of these churches that has been restored due to damage and wear and tear over time is the stained glass. If your Fort Worth church was built before 1930 or so, your church stained glass probably needs some sort of restoration, if it has not been done already.  The question most church patrons have when they begin the process of stained glass restoration is–which is better restoration or replacement? Well, there is no simple answer to this because stained glass is actually very personal to each church–but we can give you some guidance on the benefits related to keeping your stained glass instead of replacing it.

The Main Benefit Of Restoring Stained Glass

We like to say the main benefit of keeping stained glass and having it restored rather than remove really is value. However, value can mean a lot of things.  There are three key parts of value that make stained glass worth keeping more so than replacing. And the actual monetary value is only one of them. This is because, as you well know, money isn’t everything.  

Restoring Fort Worth Church Stained Glass, Rather Than Replacing Keeps Its Value 

1. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Historic Value:  The fact of the matter is–many Texas churches were built in a very exciting time here in the US.  The world as we knew it was changing with the advent of telegraphs, telephones, cars, and planes. The stained glass made here in Texas was built in a day and age when certain things were going out and others coming in.  This means the glass on your Fort Worth church, if it is 80+ years old, probably has some pretty significant historical value. While this won’t necessarily translate to cash, it is something you simply cannot put a price on and therefore you Fort Worth church stained glass is a prime example of something to restore not replace.
2. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Sentimental Value: Just like historical value, sentimental value is hard to quantify but very real.  In congregations here in Fort Worth and across Texas, there are likely church members who have experienced much of their church life below those stained glass windows.  This means the stained glass windows in your Fort Worth church have witnessed new life (baptisms), death (funerals) and new beginnings (marriages). For those members and others, restoring those windows, which have stood the test of time, is likely something they prefer, since they have played such a huge role in major life moments.
3. Fort Worth Church Stained Glass Has Monetary Value: Of course, there is always a matter of what your Fort Worth church’s stained glass is actually worth in dollars.  If they are very old (over 100 years) they are antiques and worth restoring rather than replacing for that very reason.  However, some stained glass windows in the Fort Worth area and around Texas were made by very famous artisans or studios. In which case, restoring them is a must.  To know more about the potential monetary value you will have to have them assessed by an expert. However, even if there is no significant monetary value, the other types of value are reason enough to begin your church stained glass restoration.

For more information on stained glass restoration here in Fort Worth or to schedule an assessment, contact us at Fort Worth Stained Glass today!